Cord hook for vacuum cleaners



J. v. DOHERTY CORD HOOK FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed may 12, 1926 /2wuemtoz I W2 Jain 70166261702621} Patented May 22, 1928 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN VINCENT DOEERTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR '10. EUREKA VACUUMCLEANER COMPANY, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

COR.'D HOOK FOR VACUUM CLEANERS.

Application filed May 12,

The invention relates to cord hooks for vacuum cleaners and the like andmore particularly to improvements in devices of this character.

In vacuum cleaners or sweepers or other similar types, of electricallydriven apparatus it is customary to provide means upon the handle of thecleaner for supporting the electric conductor or cord when the apparatusis not in use. Heretofore this cord supporting means consistedessentially of a air of spaced hooks or similar shaped mem ers aroundwhich the cord was wound or looped. When usingthe cleaner it was 16necessary to disengage the cord by unwinding the same from the hooks inorder to free the same and render the entire length of the cordavailable. be slightly objectionable because of the time and troubleinvolved.

It is therefore one of the primary objects of this invention to providea cord supporting means wherein at least one of the sup porting hooks isso connected to the cleaner handle that it may be quickly and easilyshifted to an operative position wherein the loops of the cord are freedtherefrom thereby permitting of a ready disengagement of the cord fromthe hooks.

Other objects, advantages and novel details of the invention will bemade more apparent as this description proceeds, espe-' cially whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 1s a fragmentary perspective view of a vacuum cleaner handleprovided with supporting hooks constructed in accordance with thisinvention. Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary v ew partly in section anpartly in elevation through one of the supporting hooks.

Figure 3 is a separated fragmentary detail perspective view of thesupporting hook. Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken substantiallyon the plane indicated by line '14 in Figure 2 and Figure 5 is a planview of the hook supporting bracket.

Referring now particularly to the draw: .ing wherein like referencecharacters indicate like parts it will be noted that there isfragmentarily illustrated the handle 10 of the cleaner which obviouslymay be of any desired type or character employing an This was found to1926. Serial No. 108,569.

electric motor or other similar electrically operated propelling meansrequiring the use of a conductor cord C.

This cord is adapted to be supported upon the handle 10 by being loopedor wound about a pair of supportin members herein illustrated asconsisting o spaced hook-like members 11 and 12. The objects of thepresent invention may be attained by mounting one ofthe hook-likemembers for instance the hook member 11, rigidly upon the handle and bymounting the other hook member h'erem indicated at 12, so as to permitthe same to be moved from an operative to an inoperative position. Thusas suggested in Figure 1, wherein the hook 12 is shown in releasedposition in full lines, the cord C may, in this position. of the parts,be readily moved from engagement with the supporting elements.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention as herein shown anddescribed the hook 12 is pivotally or hingedly connected to the handle10. This connection includes a bracket 13 for connection to the handle10, this bracket being provided with an upwardly extending depression 14cut away centrally thereof as indicated at 15. This recessed portion 15of the bracket is adapted to receive and accommodate the flanged end 16of the handle 12, the flange 16 being extended laterally to provide apair of extensions 17 which engage under semi-circular upwardlyextending depressions 18 of the bracket 13. Mounted for engagement withthe end of the handle 16 is a fiat spring or resilient member 19 whichmay be,rig1dly connected to the bracket at its ends by engagement underlugs 20 struck out from the body of the bracket.

For convenience in assembling the device the hook 12 will be insertedthrough the opening 15 from the under side of the bracket'and drawntherethrough until the extensions 17 engage under the semi-circularretaining portions 18 whereupon the resilient element 19 will beinserted under the lugs 20 and secured in place by bending these lugsthereagainst in gripping relation.

In swinging the hook 12 from for instance center with reference to thespring element 19' and in so moving will flex the element 19. It isobvious therefore that inasmuch as the resilientbr spring element 19bears against the edge of the flange 16 in either of the positions ofthe hook, the hook will be retained in either its operative orinoperative position but may be readily moved or swung from either ofthese positions to the other.

Thus when the hook 12 is in the dotted line position illustrated inFigure 1, the cord C may be wound or looped about the hooks 11 and 12 inthe customary manner. However, when it is desired to release the-cord Cfrom its supporting elements then the hook 12 will be swung to itsinoperative position, past the perpendicular center, to the full lineposition shown in Figure 1 whereupon the loops of the cord ()may bereadily freed therefrom.

Obviously supporting elements other than hooks may be employed althoughheretofore hooks or hook-like elements have been practically universallyadopted as the cord supporting elements.

,. apparent that the objects of this invention may also be attainedwithv other forms of releasable elements. For instance, the equivalentof the hook member 12 in the 1llustra-' tive embodiment of theinvention, instead of being hingedly or swingingly mounted upon thehandle 10, may be pivoted for a rotary movement, may be slidabl mountedor may be connected to the ban le in any one of various ways whereby itmay be moved from an operative to an inoperative position.

Therefore while a cord' supporting means constructed as above describedhas been found to give remarkably good results in practice, it isevident from the above consideration that the specific design hereinbefore described isonly typical of the various forms in which theinvention may be embodied and reservation is therefore made to make suchchanges in the details of construction as may come within the purview ofthe accompanying claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a handle or the like, of a fixed cord supportingelement, a movable releasable cord su porting element andinstantaneously releasalile means for retaining said movable element inporting position.

2. The combination with a handle, of spaced cord supporting elements,means for mounting one of said elements for move ment from a supportingto a releasing position and resilient means for initially impedlngmovement of said last-mentioned element from either of said positions.

cord sup- 3. The combination with a handle of cord supportlng meansincluding a fixed hooklike element and a spaced hook-like elementpivotally connected to said handle and It will also be readily movableto and from and automatically securable in cord supporting or cordreleasing position.

4. The combination with a handle, of cord supporting means including afixed hooklike element and a spaced hook-like element hingedly connectedto said handle for movement about an axis tranverse to the longitudinalaxis ofthe handle and in a plane intersecting the longitudinal axis ofthe handle from a cord supporting to a cord releasing position.

5. The combination with a handle, of a cord supporting element thereon,the said cord supporting element being movable to cord supporting andcord releasing positions, anduneans for yieldably retaining the saidcord supporting element in either of the two said positions.

6. The combination with a handle, of a cord supporting hook on saidhandle, the said cord supporting hook being selectively movable tooperative and inoperative positions, and resilient means for retainingthe said hook ineither of the said positions.

7. The combination with a handle, of a cord supporting element thereon,the said cord supporting element being movable to cord supporting orcord releasing positions, and a spring for-retaining the said cordsupporting element in either of the said posi' tions.

8. The combination with a handle, of a fixed cord supporting element, areleasable cord supporting element, and means for yieldablyretaining thereleasable cord supporting element in cord supporting position.

9. The combination with a handle, of a fixed cord supporting element, amovable cord supporting element spaced from said fixed cord supportingelement, means for mounting the movable cord supporting element topermit movement of the same toward and away from the fixed cordsupporting element, and means for yieldably preventing movement of themovable cord supporting element.

10. The combination with a handle, of a cord supporting element thereon,and means formounting said element for movement radlally of thelongitudinal axis of said handle from a cord supporting to a cordreleasing position.

mvoms leasing position, and means engageable with the said element forautomaticall retaining the same in either of the two sai' positions.

13. In combination with a handle, a fixed cord supporting element and amovable cord supporting element, a bracket for said last named elementfast to the handle and a pivot carried by said bracket for said lastnamed element.

14. In combination with a handle, a fixed cord supporting element and amovable cord supporting element, and means for mounting the last namedelement for pivotal movement in a plane intersecting the said handle,whereby the said element may be moved about its pivot toward the fixedcord supporting element to release the cord and away from the fixed cordsupporting element to support the cord.

15. In combination with a handle, a fixed cord supporting element and amovable cord supporting element, a bracket for said last named elementfast to the handle, a plvot mounted on the end of said elementengageable with the bracket and means formed on the bracket formaintaining the pivot therein.

16. In combination with a handle, a fixed cord supporting element and amovable cord supporting element, a bracket for said last named elementfast to the handle, a pivot mounted on the end of said elementengageable with the bracket, means formed on the bracket for maintainingthe pivot therein, and a spring located within the bracket and beneaththe pivot to frictionally engage the same.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

JOHN VINCENT DOHERTY.

